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Portugal wildfires: Morocco sends two Canadair planes to help
Morocco has sent two Canadair firefighting aircraft to Portugal after Lisbon activated a bilateral cooperation mechanism in response to the breakdown of two of its own planes. The Portuguese Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday that the aircraft will remain deployed until the end of the week.
Portugal initially sought assistance from Spain, but Madrid was unable to help due to a surge of wildfires on its own territory. Spain, like Portugal, has been hit by an intense heatwave that has fueled multiple blazes over the past week.
By late Monday afternoon, Portugal was battling four major wildfires in the north and center of the country, according to José Ribeiro, head of the national civil protection authority. More than 1,600 firefighters, 528 vehicles and 28 aerial resources were mobilized.
The most critical fire, in the Trancoso area, has already destroyed some 8,000 hectares, mostly olive groves and vineyards, according to local mayor Amilcar Salvador. Another fire is burning near Covilha, on the edge of the Serra da Estrela natural park.
Meteorological services warned that temperatures in southern Portugal could reach 44°C on Tuesday, leaving the country on high alert. Since the beginning of the year, around 60,000 hectares have already burned, highlighting the growing threat posed by climate change in the Iberian Peninsula, where extreme heatwaves and droughts are becoming increasingly frequent.